In order to improve the health of Latvian schoolchildren, representatives of the Association of Non-Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturers (BDRA) “Cēsu alus”, “Cido Grupa”, “Laima”, “Coca-Cola HBC Latvia” and “Aldaris”, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science, the Ministry of Health and the Center for Disease Prevention and Control, have started an active struggle with the aim of promoting the elimination of a sedentary lifestyle among Latvian students. As part of the BDRA initiative, a video with educational, engaging content for students has been created, as well as other materials, with the help of which teachers and students throughout Latvia will be addressed.
In Latvia, every fourth first-grader is overweight or obese, and the data in other age groups are not encouraging. On average, 32% of young people watch TV for four or more hours a day, while around 57% of young people spend more than three hours a day on the computer*.
“Improper nutrition, sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle are the most pronounced problems of today, which children in Latvia and elsewhere in the world face more and more often. Therefore, as responsible entrepreneurs and members of society, “Cido Grupa”, “Laima”, “Cēsu alus”, “Aldaris” and “Coca-Cola HBC Latvia” came up with an initiative to educate Latvian students about a healthy lifestyle and its importance. also athletes and other socially recognizable persons who are positive examples in the students’ perception and whose opinion the students listen to. We want to inspire and fully inform every student about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and the opportunities to practice it in their everyday life, so that we can all succeed in improving the health of our children,” explains Marijus Kirstukas, chairman of the BDRA board.
Following a healthy lifestyle is important for a person to feel good throughout his life. We ourselves are the creators of our family traditions. Although the eating culture in our society is quite traditional and entrenched, it is within our power to change it. And then it will turn out that porridge tastes good even without salt, that you can eat carrots fresh, that you can walk three stops and take the stairs instead of taking the elevator. Let’s eat healthy, move and be kind to our fellow human beings and the world,” said Minister of Education and Science Ina Druviete at the event.
As part of the campaign, several materials have been created: a half-hour long educational video, informative material for teachers, a poster, as well as questionnaires for teachers and students after watching the video. The materials are mainly aimed at young people from 7th grade to high school age, but are also suitable for addressing younger students. The educational video for students was made in collaboration with doctor-nutritionist Andi Brēmani, as well as the president of the Latvian Street Gymnastics Sports Association Māris Šlēžinas, London Olympic Games bronze medalist in beach volleyball Mārtinas Pļaviņas, musician Māra Upmani-Holštein, model Māra Kampernova and Draugiem.lv spokesperson Jānis Palkavnieks, who shared their healthy lifestyle tips and experiences.
In order to inform teachers and students about a healthy lifestyle, cooperation with the largest education portal in Latvia, e-klase.lv, has been started. In it, teachers will have the opportunity to download all campaign materials for free in their profile in the school management system until the end of this school year and use them, for example, in parenting lessons.
At any time, the teacher can inform students about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, for example, in parenting lessons, by watching a video and then encouraging students to discuss their personal experiences. The video consists of four parts or topics: water, sports, energy and nutrition. This means that the teacher can separately choose to look at different topics, for example, devoting one lesson to the topic of physical activities, and another time discussing nutrition issues with the students.
In order to address students and teachers directly, as part of the campaign, lectures will also be held in several schools throughout Latvia, for example in Cēsis, Liepāja and elsewhere, to inform in person about the basic principles of a healthy lifestyle. Doctor-dietitian Andis Brēmanis will take part in it, as well as characters recognizable to students and known to the public from the educational video.
*Research on children’s health in Latvia conducted by the Center for Disease Prevention and Control in the fall of 2013.
